Thursday, September 11, 2008

September 11th: An Emergence

This morning Judi's first Black Swallowtail emerged from its chrysalis. She found it clinging to its empty chrysalis inside the Caterpillar House. It crawled onto her proffered hand. Here are pictures -- overwings and underwing:

Judi was transported.

The butterfly sat for a while, first on her hand, then on my arm, and eventually on my shoulder. It flexed its abdomen, excreting bits of green goo that we already knew to be a waste byproduct of the metamorphosis. Then, finally, I felt a tiny springing push-off and it was airborne, about six inches above my shoulder, flying. It made a circle in the air, then flew around the (folded) patio umbrella, and then soared up along the roof of the house and then over the peak of the roof and just like that it was gone. And the world was a little more beautiful.